Improved galvanic battery



E. GRENBT, Jr. GALVANIG BATTERY.

N0.25,5o3. i A Patentedsepnzo, 1859.

H i@I AN nRSw B GRAHAM. PHOTO'UTHO WASNINGTUMD C UNITED STATES PATENT Ormes.

VEUGENE GRENET, JR., 'OF PARIS, FRANCE.

'IMPRovED `eALvANlc BATTERY.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,503, dated September 20, 1859.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE GRENET, .I r., of Paris, in theEmpire of France,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Galvanic Batteries, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the` accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

. The nature of jmy invention relates to galvanic batteries composed of positive and negative elements formed of any suitable metals or substances held in a bath of astrongly oxygenatedl solution; and it consists in the employment of an exciting-Huid which is caused to be constantly agitated. This may be effected in diii'erent ways, but mainly by forcing `a current of air therethrough.

My inventioiLfurther consists in forming a galvanic battery of zinc and charcoal, respectively, for the positive and negative elements thereof, so arranged that 4the whole may be immersed into the liquid and removed therefrom at pleasure, said liquid being highly oxygenated and formed of bichromate of potassa, chromic acid, binoxide ofv manganese, and diluted with water acidulated by sulphuric or other suitable acid, and which is agitated by blowingair into and through it. y My invention lastly consists in forming the charcoal elements Yby pressing into or onto the surface of plates of lead when yet lin a semiliquid state small pieces o f charcoal.

My new. battery may be applied for tele graph purposes, dentistry, surgery, forproducing light and other electric phenomena, and also to machinery-actuated by electricity;

'lo enable others skilled in the art to make, construct, and use my invention, I will now proceed -to describe itin detail.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3, represent, respectively,'theelevation, plan, and side viewofa battery constructed according to my improvement.'

Each pair of elements consists of plates of zinc a and of charcoal b arranged alternately with respect to each other, and kept in their proper relative position by means of cross-bars D formed of an insulating substance. The zinc plates may be made of a somewhat sm aller size than those of charcoal.

All the plates of the same material are connected by a common conductor, m w', and se arranged that contact with the plates or conductor of the other set is avoided.v

The whole battery is so arranged as to be Immediately on the battery being plunged A into the exciting-liquid, and the blowing ap'- paratus set in operation, the air willbe forced in through the small holes B and produce v iolent agitation ot the fluid. The current thus produced remains uniform as long as the insnation is continued and the tlndmaintained in the same state.

The liquid may be renewed either by changing the whole contents at stated intervals of time or by a uniform infiux supplied continuously or intermittently; but-when its power of dissolving is exhausted it is subjected to evaporation, in order that the remainder contained therein may be obtained.

' A tension-battery may be formed by placing several such' cells side by side and arranging them ina series. V Here I wish to state that this method of agitatiug the uid by blowing inairinto and through it is not 'only applicable to. batteries constructed on my improved plan, but it can 'also be introduced with great advantagefor all other batteries, whatever their arrangement and the exciting-duid be.l The two operations of agitating the liquid by the forced introduction of air andthe constant renewing of the exciting-Huid are equally necessary, jto the preservation of the uniform energy of the current.V It is-alsovery important to employja liquid sufciently oxygenated, as by the use' of water acidnlated with sulphnric acid only no satisfactory results will be obtained.

The advantages derived from my method of constructing and arranging a galvanic battery are as ifollowsrFirst, that a battery of my construction, as compared with one known as the Bunsen battery, will require but onetwentieth of the surface of the active elements used by Bunsen to evolve the same quantity of electricity; second, that the elements are immersed in aliquid which is a very good conductor of electricity, and which possesses a high degree of oxidizing action; third, that the elements are exposed to the oxidizing action of the air; fourth, that the action of the air on the elements prevents their polarization; fifth, that there is but one liquid used, and which is devoid of noxious odor or vapor; sixth, that the battery occupies but a small space and is easily transportable; seventh, that the porous vessels can be dispensed with 5 eighth, that it can be readily and advanta geously employed and adapted to all and any required purpose, as it not onlyoccupies a small space, but possesses the required quantity of electricity' at a comparatively small expense and with litt-le trouble.

As it is very didicult to obtain charcoal of suiicient size to forni large elements out ot' one piece, I maire them by irst casting lead into thin plates ot' the required shape and then prcssin g into its surface (before itis solidiiied) small pieces of charcoal, so as to constitutesJ compact outer layer of charcoal.-

Un account oi' the high degree of power evolved by these batteries, they can be constructed, Jfor many practicable purposes, of very small dimensions. in Fig. si is represented a portable battery, so arranged as not to act any longer than it is required for lany special purpose, and which can be operated by one hand only, leaving the other hand free to act and execute any required operation. The elements are wholly inclosed in a cap or vessel, A, made of glass or other suitable material. This cap is made to rit securely over the receptacle C by being screwed into the collar l1 ofthe latter.

The liquid may be introduced into the receptacle C before closing it with the cap, ori may be poured into it, after the cap A has been fitted over it, through a glass-tube, E, to the upper end of which is connect-ed aflexible tube made of caoutchouc, for the purpose of blowing or forcing air into the liquid. The two charcoal elements D, which are made to reach-the bottom of the vessel, so that they should be constantly immersed in the liquid, are provided at their lower end with ahollow piece, W, perforated with a number of holes. The tubeE connects with this pieceW, through which the insufdated air is disnersed'through the liquid.

The charcoal plates are provided with vertical slots T, in which are made to slide the india-rubber `washers I. To these are secured the zinc plates F and .the india-rubber sheets H, the whole being held up by means ot' indiarubber Suspenders K.' A rod, L, provided with a button, M, is so arranged that by pressing the button M the rod L will force the zinc plates down into the liquid, thereby causing a current of electricity instantaneously to be evolved. 0n removing the pressure from the button M the elastic Suspenders K, which have been stretched, will now resume their original position and raise'` the zinc plates, and thus arrest the current. The two electric currents are united at 0, the ono passing through the interior metallic mounting R secured to the cap A and supporting the charcoal plates D, and the other through the outer mounting, S, against which the rod L connected with the zinc plates E is made to play. The two currents are then conducted by insulating conductors V V', at the end of which 'there may be arranged a center, i), or a metallic spiral wire intended to produce an incandescent snrfaee. v

The battcryis put in action bysiinply pressing with a finger the button M. The forcing in of air is cn'ccted by placing in the mouth the end of the flexible tube and blowing in air through it into the tube .instead of the charcoal plates being stationary they could be made movable, and the whole raised or depressed by any suitable contrivance. 'Ehe same effects could he produced by arranging the element-s stationary and displacing'theliquid by an y suitable means.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters latent, is-

l. The method ci agitating the exciting-liquid of a galvanic battery by forcing a current ot' air. through it', in the manner and i'or the purposes substantially as set forth.

2. Arranging and-constructingthe zinc and charcoal elements, in combination with the exciting-fluid, substantially in the manner herein described, whereby they may be operated the one by the other, substantially as set forth.

3. Forming the charcoal elements by pressing into or onto thesuri'ace of plates of 1read, when yet in a semi-liquid state, small pieces of charcoal, in the manner substantially as described.

In testimony whereot'lhavesigned my name to this specification before two subscribing witncsses.

n. Gunner, uns. 

